Req 4f — The Dollar Coin

The dollar coin has had a rocky history with the American public. Despite repeated attempts to get people to use dollar coins instead of dollar bills, most Americans have stubbornly preferred paper. But for collectors, each attempt at a new dollar coin created a fascinating design — and for this requirement, you need one from each of the three modern series.

Susan B. Anthony Dollar (1979–1981, 1999)

The Susan B. Anthony dollar was the first U.S. circulating coin to honor a real woman (as opposed to symbolic figures like Liberty). It was designed by Frank Gasparro, who also designed the Kennedy half dollar reverse.

Design features:

• Obverse: Susan B. Anthony — the pioneering women’s suffrage leader — facing right, with her likeness shown in front of a small representation of the Moon. “LIBERTY” appears above, the date below, and “IN GOD WE TRUST” to the left. Gasparro’s initials “FG” appear near the portrait.
• Reverse: An eagle landing on the Moon, adapted from the Apollo 11 mission patch. “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “ONE DOLLAR” frame the design. Designer’s initials “FG” appear near the eagle’s tail.

The problem: The Susan B. Anthony dollar was nearly the same size and color as a quarter, causing endless confusion. Vending machine operators loved it (it eliminated paper dollar jams), but the public rejected it. Production stopped after just three years. A final batch was struck in 1999 to fill a gap before the Sacagawea dollar was ready.

Sacagawea Dollar (2000–2008)

Learning from the SBA dollar’s failure, the Mint made the Sacagawea dollar visually and tactilely distinct: a smooth (plain) edge, a golden color, and a wider diameter.

Design features:

• Obverse: Sacagawea — the Lemhi Shoshone woman who served as guide and interpreter for the Lewis and Clark Expedition — carrying her infant son, Jean Baptiste. Designed by Glenna Goodacre, with her initials “GG” appearing on the front. The model for Sacagawea was Randy’L He-dow Teton, a Shoshone student at the University of New Mexico.
• Reverse: A soaring eagle surrounded by 17 stars (representing the number of states at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition). Designed by Thomas D. Rogers with initials “TDR” near the eagle.

The Sacagawea dollar solved the confusion problem but never caught on for everyday use. The dollar bill remained far more popular, and most Sacagawea dollars ended up in vending machines, transit systems, or collector albums.

Presidential Dollar Coins (2007–2016, 2020)

Modeled on the success of the 50 State Quarters, the Presidential Dollar program issued four coins per year honoring U.S. presidents in the order they served. The series ran from 2007 (George Washington) through 2016 (Ronald Reagan), with a final coin in 2020 for George H.W. Bush.

Design features:

• Obverse: A portrait of the president being honored, with the president’s name and order number (e.g., “1st President”). Each portrait was designed by a different artist.
• Reverse: The Statue of Liberty, designed by Don Everhart (initials “DE”). This design remained constant throughout the series.
• Edge lettering: The date, mint mark, “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” and “IN GOD WE TRUST” were incused (pressed into) the edge of the coin rather than appearing on the obverse or reverse. This was a first for U.S. circulating coins.

A living-president rule: By law, a president could only be honored on a coin at least two years after death. This is why the series skipped several living presidents and issued the George H.W. Bush coin in 2020, two years after his death in 2018.

How to Find Dollar Coins

Like the half dollar, dollar coins do not circulate widely. Here is where to look:

The Susan B. Anthony dollar is the hardest to find in circulation since it has not been produced since 1999, but they still turn up occasionally. Coin shops and online sellers carry them for $1.50–$3 in circulated condition.

What to Know for Your Counselor

For each of your three dollar coins, be ready to discuss:

• The designer and their initials
• The key design features on both obverse and reverse
• Where the mint mark appears (edge on Presidential dollars, obverse on the others)
• Why the coin was created and what it honored

The dollar coin story is also a story about design and public acceptance. Your counselor may enjoy hearing why each new dollar was created and why none of them replaced the paper dollar.